general ramblings :)

I've managed to undo the damage from last week and weighed in today at 160.8.  My goodness, I can't wait to break through into the 150s!

I have to admit I've been feeling kind of "blah" over the past week.  Although I am finding ways to stay active, I haven't had a solid exercise routine since finishing Body Revolution a few weeks ago.  Perhaps that is throwing me off.  I continue to run 2-3 times a week, but I'm having a hard time with that as well.  I make sure my blood sugar is on the higher side before I begin (I usually need to start in the 10.0 to 12.0 mmol/L range), and even drink a 1/2 glass of juice before starting as well, but I always seem to return home with a low blood sugar which means even more juice and calories (not to mention having that drunken-like feeling as I stumble up my road to get home).

I do know that my stress level has been gradually elevating with thinking about all the things we need to do to prepare for our big move.  Mr. McMuffintop still hasn't received the official "green light" from his physical (although he is overweight and his cholesterol was elevated, the person who did the physical said it shouldn't prevent him from getting hired; the hold up is simply that the company's doctor hasn't had a chance to review and approve the physical yet).

So until he gets that green light, everything we need to do to prepare is on hold.  We have been searching MLS for house listings, but we really need to get out there and look for ourselves.  We can't decide whether to buy a house or a condo.  We want to adopt a child/children so a house would be better, but if for some reason it doesn't happen then a smaller condo would suit us just fine.  Gah, I wish I could see the future!

Ok, back to positive thoughts. :)

This weekend I am hosting a Mother's-Day-slash-birthday dinner for my family, so I plan to prepare as much of the food in advance as possible so that I can enjoy the day rather than be running around in a frenzy.  I already made some cupcakes last weekend and immediately put them in the freezer so that they would be out-of-sight, out-of-mind.  McMuffintop 1, delicious food 0!

If at first you don't succeed...

My disastrous self-sabotage continued after my last post.  I feel like I must now refer to March 27 through April 2, 2013 as my Week of Shame.

Easter dinner at Mr. McMuffintop's parents' was another glorious gluttonous free for all.  Ham, potato, turnip, 4 types of pie... oh my!  So many starchy, carb-filled, tasty foods to choose from.  My portions were fairly small during dinner, but the pie.  Oh the pie!  I sampled two flavours at dinner and since Mr. McMuffintop brought home a big plate of leftovers including the other two flavours I HADN'T tried on Easter Sunday, on Monday I ate the other two kinds.

Yeah, I was a total mess.

I was so far over on my Weight Watchers points that I stopped tracking.  And since in my twisted mind I knew that my new week didn't start until Wednesday, I gave myself permission to continue my downward spiral on Tuesday.  My mom had given me a chocolate bunny that had been staring at me since Friday.  Yesterday I ate the whole thing.  Every. Last. Crumb.

I spent about 10 minutes last night feeling really terrible about myself.  Why is it when I fall off the weight-loss wagon I fall so damn hard? (answer: probably because I still have 170 lbs. of me fighting gravity... hahah...).  But instead of feeling bad, I shook it off and said to myself, "Self, only you control you.  So hop to it.  Get back on that wagon and make better choices starting NOW."

And that's what I'm doing.  I began this morning back on Jillian Michael's 7-Day Metabolism Kickstart.  This week will be full of lots of veggies and lean protein while I kick all the sugar out of my system again.

In terms of exercise, I really am amazed with myself on how hard I worked during the past 12 weeks.  I actually did all 12 weeks of Body Revolution without missing a single day.  For me, that is a HUGE accomplishment.  The old me would have probably given up by week 5 or 6. 

But now that I am finished the program I need to figure out a new exercise routine.  I could do Body Revolution over again, but I feel like I need to change it up.  I am really enjoying running outside, so much so that I bought a GPS/heart-rate watch last week to track my runs (the Garmin Forerunner 410 at Costco for $154.99 - great deal considering anything comparable at MEC was at least $300).  I have every intention on entering a charity run sometime this summer, but for now I have to wait to register for anything because I'm not sure yet which part of the country I will be in this summer (but that's another story for another day).

Today's weigh-in:  171.2.  Yeah, that's another 0.6 gain, however I thought it would be a lot worse after my Week of Shame.  So back on the wagon I get, and here's hoping that I see the 160s again by this time next week!

Takin' it to the streets

Since starting the Couch to 5K running program a month ago I have been not-so-patiently waiting for warmer weather and the snow to melt so that I can take my running skills from the treadmill to the great outdoors.  I swear, on every one of my designated running days Mother Nature has simply not co-operated with my plans.

Therefore, it was no surprise this morning when I woke up to see snow falling from the sky AGAIN.  But I checked the temperature and it was a mild 0°C, so I said "screw the snow" and laced up my outdoor runners.

I mapped out my run to match the 5 km I've been logging on the treadmill each session (I don't exactly follow the Couch to 5K plan... I do the "prescribed" part, and then continue to walk/run til I complete 5 km - gotta earn my Weight Watchers Activity Points somehow!).  Surprisingly, my time came in close to my usual time on the treadmill, although it took me a couple of minutes longer than it should have because I had to tiptoe through the first and last 0.5 km of my route.  The road my house is on is VERY icy.  I think what saved me is all the core strengthening I've been doing - everytime I'd hit a patch of ice and feel myself start to slide, my abs would immediately contract and keep me upright!

But it felt so good to be outside breathing in fresh air.  Final verdict?  Outdoor running kicks treadmill running's butt any day, even while being forced to step carefully on ice and through slush.  Hopefully the first day of spring tomorrow will finally bring some sunshine to melt all this nasty stuff!